Could this be you? “Oh, I can’t even think about breakfast in the morning after what I ate all through the night. I feel so ashamed of myself. Maybe I just won’t eat lunch.”

Now it’s dinner time and you’ve come home starving and maybe on your way home you stopped by and picked up some of your favorite fast food. OK? Or maybe you’re cooking a fast dinner and you find yourself eating as you cook. During dinner you eat and eat until you’re so full that your stomach hurts. However, you still have cravings for some (___?____) which are full of high calories. These cravings happen throughout the evening and one or more times during your night. This way of night eating ends up the same way every morning. You wake up and say to yourself, “Oh, I can’t even think about breakfast in the morning after what I ate last night. I feel ashamed of myself. Maybe I just won’t eat lunch. “The wanting to avoid breakfast and even lunch helps keep this vicious cycle continuing.

The typical feeling is shame because you don’t have any control over your food choices. Night eating syndrome is a real disorder and you can get help. If something similar happens to you, you probably have night eating syndrome.
Great Treatment Tips to control or cancel night eating: (one-two percent of the population has night eating syndrome, but the rate is as high as six percent among those who are obese. The emotionally charged eating tends to run in families with addictions according to The American Journal of Psychiatry.)

For hormonal issues, one way to combat night eating syndrome is to administer tryptophan. Tryptophan has a similar effect to carbohydrate consumption; it ultimately results in a raised level of serotonin. This is 5HTP.

• 5 HTP has shown to be helpful in reducing the carbohydrate cravings that can be a part of the night eating syndrome and 5-HTP addresses the stress by reducing the body’s need to release the stress hormone cortisol. The food consumed at late hours is often high-calorie, starchy food. Carbohydrates adjust the chemical balance in the brain, increasing serotonin levels. Increased serotonin, in turn, helps the person to sleep. 5HTP can do this without the weight gain and can be ordered here:

• Of course, it is also helpful to address the issues that create stress. This often calls for some form of mental health counseling. http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com

• Structured nutritional meal plans are a means of reducing the episodes of dietary restriction and the urges to binge and purge, plus natural weight loss can happen. (See article link at )

1. Adequate nutritional intake can prevent cravings and promote satiety (See article at)
2. Spread your calories out evenly over the day to avoid feeling overly hungry
3. Skipping meals is a trigger for night eating. Make a commitment to change and plan three meals a day.
4. Eat breakfast even if you don’t feel like it
5. Plan a healthy after dinner snack in a pre-portioned package
6. Eat a serving of whole grains with dinner

The following are more practical suggestions to curb night eating:

• Chew XyliChew Gum – Peppermint from a health food store

• Keep your kitchen free of junk food by making a grocery list of wholesome choices and buying them

• Brush your teeth after dinner and after any snack

• Freeze dinner leftovers for lunch or next dinner so you don’t snack on them later

• Find other activities like drawing, knitting, to keep your hands and mind preoccupied or go for a walk

More Information on what is Night Eating Syndrome?

During the nighttime, individuals with night eating syndrome have a decrease in the hormone that accompanies sleep, melatonin. Researchers have found that the drop in melatonin contributes to their sleep disturbances.
Those with night eating syndrome experience the daily cycle of out of control eating with respect to food and calorie intake Understanding this cycle is the first step to being able to plan the gentle changes. According to Stunkard AJ, Grace WJ, Wolf HG: The night-eating syndrome Am J Med 1955; 19:78–86, 33% or more of daily calories are consumed after dinner. The next day the person has no desire to eat much for breakfast. Minimum food intake continues through the day, while depression becomes more pronounced at the end of the day. A significant amount of food is consumed for dinner, but again 33% or more of the food intake occurs after dinner and at one or more times during the night.
Who is at Risk of Developing Night Eating Syndrome?
Night-eating syndrome may occur in 10% of obese people. It is time to seek help.
Are there Specific Triggers for Night Eating Disorder?Researchers have found that the triggers are:

Body image dissatisfaction

Anxiety

Depression

Interpersonal stressors

Boredom

Continual dieting

How is Night Eating Syndrome different from Binge Eating or Bulimia?
Night Eating Syndrome is where you frequently eat small high calorie snacks throughout the night. Individuals with binge eating disorder and/or bulimia consume 3,000 calories or more in one or two hours. The binges are not consistent.

Dessert as a reward, snacks that wreck your appetite, and other parental nutrition myths.
By Lisa Fields
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LDAre you still following eating habits that your parents taught you decades ago? It’s time to see if that advice stands up to the test of time — or if some of the things your parents taught you about food are your family’s diet myths. Diet myths are “handed down for generations,” says Kathleen Fuller, PhD, LMHC, author of Not Your Mother’s Diet. “To undo a myth or belief, it takes some practice.”

Here are five outdated ideas about food that you may have learned from your parents — and the grown-up realities.

1. No snacking! You’ll ruin your appetite!

If you heard this when you were a kid, you should know that the thinking about snacking has grown up. Snacking can be healthy, as long as you choose wisely and don’t wreck your calorie budget.
“It keeps blood sugar stable” and keeps you from getting too hungry between meals, says Debra Waterhouse, MPH, RD, author of Outsmarting the Mother-Daughter Food Trap.
Of course, you can’t just snack with abandon. Those calories count, and you want the biggest nutritional payoff per calorie. So some types of snacks are better options than others.
Update: Try cutting back slightly on meals to allow for one or two daily snacks between 100 and 200 calories. Healthy options include nuts, fruit, yogurt, vegetables with dip, or other low-fat, low-sugar, high-fiber options.
“My general rule is going no longer than four hours without eating something, whether a meal or a snack,” says Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

2. Finish everything on your plate.
Did you grow up hearing that at every dinner? Did your parents make you stay at the dinner table until you’d finished everything on your plate? And are you still eating that way today? If so, you may not be heeding your body’s signals that you’re full and that it’s OK to stop eating.
“I’m constantly telling my patients, ‘You don’t have to join the Clean Plate Club,'” Brown-Riggs says. “It’s fine to leave a little food over and not eat mindlessly. Get in tune with your body to know when you’ve had enough.”
Update: Try leaving something on your plate. But more importantly, stay in tune with how you’re feeling. Are you full? Are you eating just because there is still food on your plate? Be particularly careful when you’re eating out — the food is appealing, the plates are huge, and you may want to eat it all because you paid for it. “The Clean Plate Club is usually more of a problem when you’re eating out,” Brown-Riggs says. “If there are large portions, ask for half now and have them box the other half, so you don’t run into trouble.”

3. Don’t eat before exercising — you’ll get a cramp. You won’t want to go running immediately after dinner, but eating something small and nutritious 30 to 60 minutes before exercising can help you maximize your workout. “[You’ll get] a quick boost of energy that helps you optimize the exercise session,” says Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RD, an American Council on Exercise spokeswoman and author of “Eat Your Vegetables!” and Other Mistakes Parents Make: Redefining How to Raise Healthy Eaters.

Update: Choose high-carbohydrate, low-fat, low-fiber snacks with moderate amounts of protein in the 100- to 300-calorie range, such as a glass of chocolate milk, a slice of toast with peanut butter, or a granola bar. Fruit is also fine, although it won’t have much protein. (Add a few nuts for that.)

4. Hurry up! Did your parents coach you to wolf down your breakfast every morning so you wouldn’t miss the school bus? If you still eat in a hurry, you might miss your body’s cues that you’re full.

“It takes 20 minutes for the brain to register that you feel full,” Brown-Riggs says. “If you eat too quickly, you can scarf down a lot of food in a 20-minute period, and then you feel stuffed.”
Update: Make a conscious effort to slow down. Taking mini-breaks between bites can also help. “Many people don’t put a sandwich down until they’ve eaten the whole thing, but it will slow you down,” Brown-Riggs says. “Also, putting your utensils down between bites should help.”

5. You deserve dessert today!
You may have learned this habit early, if you earned a trip to the ice cream parlor for a good report card.
Or your parents may have promised you dessert as a reward for eating your broccoli or other vegetables. They had good intentions, but this is a bribe that sends a message that vegetables aren’t appealing on their own.
“We never want to use food as a reward; it sends the wrong message,” Brown-Riggs says. “The wires get crossed, and we no longer eat because we’re hungry; we eat because we were good and we deserve something.”
Update: Stop using food as a prize. Instead, reward yourself with a movie, a manicure, or a phone call to a friend. “It takes some work in terms of behavior change, because you may be doing it mindlessly,” Brown-Riggs says. “Soon, you’ll realize that you shouldn’t just eat because you think you deserve something.” Do reward yourself for your achievements — just don’t make food the reward.

If vegetables are your most-dreaded food group, it’s time to take a fresh look at the many options. Find vegetables you like, and look for appetizing ways to prepare them. “Food should not be a punishment,” Brown-Riggs says. Give some of the vegetables that you couldn’t stand as a kid another chance. For instance, could you roast Brussels sprouts in a little olive oil instead of boiling them? Or stir-fry broccoli? They might taste a lot better than you remember from your childhood.

The 10 Question Quiz for self improvement is for those of you who want to get in shape by addressing your body image through conditioning. It encourages you to approach conditioning in a balanced way. If you want to become fitter then these suggestions are from the pros.
Answer each question in this quiz using your intuition and choose a number from 1 to 10 for each question. Ten being the highest number you can choose. This is done by reading the question and letting the first answer pop into your mind. If you are in the habit of second guessing you are being dishonest with yourself. Many times as women or men too, we have been taught to “be nice” and so we have learned to second guess ourselves and to push our real feelings down to please others. This is one explanation of the origin of self doubt that can rob us of our intuition.

Commitment for a better body image- If you are serious about self improvement you’ll say, “I’ll do whatever it takes.” For some you’ll need to build calorie burning muscle by lifting weights. Others will need to add an extra session or two doing something that increases your heart rate using a monitor.
This is the best way to find out what you truly eat every day. Keep a food journal for the week and write everything you put into your mouth. You’ll be surprised.
Are you nutrients balanced? Completely eliminating all carbohydrates isn’t the answer. Most people will benefit from letting go of processed wheat breads, pasta, or gluten high grains. Adding more proteins and natural carbs like brown rice, millet, are a few grains that will by pass any food sensitivity you might have.The Metabolic Typing Diet (which gives you a test to determine your type) suggests for protein types 30% carbs, 30% fat, 40% proteins. The good quality fats are cold-pressed vegetables, olive oil, or coconut oil for cooking, nuts, avocado, oily fish oils. For Carbo Type, it’s 60% carbohydrates, 15% fats, and 25% protein. The mixed type is 50% carbohydrates & 30% protein with 20% fats.What times do you eat? So often I hear someone say, “I got used to skipping breakfast so that I could cut down on the calories to lose weight.” For whatever the reason you may have convinced yourself, skipping breakfast backfires in many ways to sabotage your conditioning and body image. In terms of conditioning, even if you eat a low fat, balanced diet, if you eat most of your food in the second half of the day you are unlikely to burn off excess fat deposits. The body is busy digesting the carbs, and proteins and is not going to get to burn the body fat deposits before you eat again the next day.So it’s not a good idea to reward yourself with treats or dessert after a long day. It is just adding to the fat storage that nature automatically activates for your survival. If you must have an occasional treat do it for breakfast.Do you do the right kinds of exercise for a better body image? To be an effective conditioner, you need to have your heart rate elevated for certain amount of time, with no breaks. If you are used to an exercise then step up to a couple of hard sessions or weight sessions to get your heart rate up. This increases the metabolic rate.Have you checked your hormones? Something that directly impacts ones weight and body image is insulin resistance. This insulin resistance condition is where the body has difficulty handling the carbohydrates because the hormone insulin which breaks down these types of foods isn’t working properly. The symptoms of insulin resistance include difficulty losing body fat despite concerted efforts, skin pigmentation, fatigue, bloating, and a family history of diabetes type 2 or infertility.Why check for food allergies? This is one of the most important points that can lead to poor health, weight gain, and body image problems. The five big offenders are: wheat, dairy, corn, soy, and yeast. The three to add are alcohol, sugar, & caffeine. Many people are suffering from the addictive/allergic response. What this means is a person can be allergic to the foods that they crave, and they have to eat these foods to stay off the withdrawal symptoms. This is a deadly dance of deception.Why check for Gluten Intolerance? There are four known culprits for your duodenum: gluten, casein, soy, and corn. The gluten comes from the gluten grains: wheat, barley, and rye. Casein comes from cow’s milk products and is mostly absent in goat’s milk. Adhesives are made from these four foods. Powerful, industrial-strength glues are made from gluten, casein, and soy. Corn is also used to make adhesives. The glycoproteins from these foods are clearly very sticky by nature, and it should be easily understood why they adhere to tissues of your duodenum (the first section of the small intestine.)Why check for Chronic Candida Yeast? This yeast feeds on carbs. and sugars. It can quickly proliferate and in its fungal form it causes fatigue and sugar cravings. When this overgrowth is under control, these sugar cravings decrease and the body can then use up fat deposits for fuel.So this is your 10 Question Quiz for self improvement in a nut shell. Each of the 10 points is crucial for your body image conditioning and ultimately for your good health. I suggest you take the time to look into each one and your body image and your energy will dramatically improve.

Want to know the answer to the question, “Do I have good personal boundaries?” Then take a piece of paper and write the numbers 1-40 for this Self Improvement Quiz. Select the answer (never, seldom, occasionally, often, usually) trusting your first impulse answer. If you second guess yourself you are being dishonest. And that dishonesty could to be explored another time but for now second guessing can lower your self esteem and cause inner confusion. There is no perfect answer just do the best you can as you begin what could be your healing journey.Answer using these words:

occasionally, often, usually, never, seldom.
• I feel responsible for others’ feelings.
• I don’t have much alone time.
• I get angry or irritated with others.
• I’d rather go along with others than say what I want to do.
• I feel guilty or bad for being so different from others.
• I feel anxious, fearful, or stressed.
• I feel good.
• I have a difficult time knowing what I feel.
• I’d rather help another than take care of myself.
• Others’ opinions and beliefs are more important than my own.
• Others use or take my things without asking.
• I am uncomfortable asking for what I want or need.
• I can’t decide about things.
• I find it hard to say no to people.
• I feel my happiness depends on others.
• I am uncomfortable looking others in the eyes.
• I find I get involved with others who end up hurting me in some way.
• I tend to trust others right off.
• I see myself tending to get involved with those that are bad for me.
• It is difficult for me to make decisions.
• It is difficult for me to keep a confidence or secret that is shared with me.
• I tend to get caught up and in the middle of other people’s problems.
• If someone I am with in public acts up, I feel embarrassed.
• I lend others money and don’t get it back on time.
• Some never pay me back.
• I feel ashamed or embarrassed.
• I spend most of my time helping others and I don’t tend to my wants or needs.I feel empty in life like something is missing.
• I feel hurt.
• I react and I am sensitive to criticism.
• I tend to be loyal in relationships even though I am being hurt.
• I feel sad.
• I tend to feel what others are feeling or take those feeling on myself.
• I tend to take on the moods of those close to me.
• It’s difficult for me to know what I believe or think.
• I feel my happiness depends on things outside myself.
• It is not easy for me to know in my heart my relationship with a Higher Power or God as I know it.
• I want to rely on what others believe about spiritual or religious matters.
• I feel I put more into relationships than I receive from those relationships.
• My friends or acquaintances have a hard time keeping secrets or confidences which I share with them.

Does this sound familiar? Your life is so chaotic and no one in your family appreciates what you do. You are criticized instead of appreciated. Your feelings are received with comments like, “You shouldn’t feel that way.” You eat whenever you can and overeating even bingeing has become a habit. What is chosen here is the value of chaos with no boundaries for your health and nourishing yourself.

Your relationship with yourself could be in chaos too. So let’s begin by defining a boundary or a limit. Think of it this way as how far you or another can go in a relationship and still be comfortable. The key here is to know when you are uncomfortable and have enough self-esteem to decide to limit in some way. Knowing who you are begins with your boundaries or limits. As you state your boundaries to others you can then sort out who is safe and who is not by the way another either respects your boundaries or does not.

The forty Self Help Quiz Questions you answered can help you to begin to know your boundaries or limits. If you have answered never, or usually, to many of the above questions you may find it useful to continue exploring a healing journey that includes a 12 step group experience or a therapist. The outcome of doing a healing journey is a feeling of freedom and peace. I know from a personal healing journey it is worth it.

Eating basics can truly change you at any age and any shape quickly, safely, naturally and constantly. Best of all the results last forever, and the concepts are scientifically proven.
1. Three meals a day- sounds easy and it is easy when you become willing to do whatever is needed to create this healthy habit.
2. Set down to a pretty place setting and allow yourself to enjoy the meal. It is called loving your body by calmly making a space just for your eating pleasure.
3. Plan a menu- make it fun and jot down a grocery list to organize your grocery trip.Here are some meals in minutes that could be so easy to throw together to feed yourself well. The eating basics include the healthiest food choices possible, opting for fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat instead of processed and refined foods. Eating basics is not complicated, nor is it expensive.Breakfast (be willing to set a fairly regular time for your breakfast)
1. Smooth start- ½ cup yogurt, your favorite fruit, and I cup ice cubes and blend
Drink water in betweenLunch
2. Make a whole grain roll up and put your favorite ingredients inside. (you can buy already washed organic greens) Mix it up with different ingredients.
3. Pack a favorite healthy drink (green tea is a healthy substitute for coffee or soda)
4. Whole grain roll ups make a wonderful melted pizza like meal with cheese and veggies
(You can use almond cheese instead of milk based cheeses.)
Drink water in betweenDinner
1. How about stir fry using pre-washed vegetables with onions and garlic, add cut up meat or tofu or shrimp, scallops or other fish with ½ cup water with soya sauce or other. Five-ten minutes to be ready to eat. Make it simple and throw it all in together and stir fry it.
2. Buy sea food that the grocery store steams for you. Add sauce and a steamed vegetable. Brown rice can take longer to cook but it cooks by itself.
3. A real quickie is buying an already cooked chicken. Add a salad. Plus you can have left-overs for lunch the next day.
Grocery List (you can print this out)
1. Lunch carrier and make it the best with thermos.
2. Bright plates and glasses that are place setting for two with a placemat that makes you smile.
3. Yogurt for seven days
4. Pre-washed vegetables in a bag
5. Frozen vegetables that you love
6. Onions two
7. Garlic already chopped and fresh herbs to throw into meals for finishing touches.
8. Favorite meats for at least seven days and freeze until needed
9. Favorite fruits and buy frozen ones so you can add them to your smoothies three bags
10. Brown rice — you can cook three servings and store the rest for quick stir fry
11. If you like sea food get some to freeze and a favorite sauce (read the label too)
12. Add what you like as your favorites here and don’t forget the salad dressing.Benefits to eating basics include:
• Fat loss
• Weight loss
• Energy increases
• Clearer skin
• Healthier and shinier hair
• Better quality of sleep
• Increased positive attitude
• Clearer thinking Hands to Help You Feel Good All hands, your hands and others Round the table share The food is spiced With smiles and love – A joyous meal is here.

Good listening is a golden gift that you can learn for your self-esteem and for connecting to others at a deeper level that will satisfy you in ways that only having an active listening experience can give you. It then can become an act of love.

Here is a type of therapy that exemplifies great listening. Reading about it can give you clues as to how you can be a more effective listener. “Client-Centered Therapy (CCT) was developed by Carl Rogers in the 40’s and 50’s. It is a non-directive approach to therapy, “directive” meaning any therapist behavior that deliberately steers the client in some way. Directive behaviors include asking questions, offering treatments, and making interpretations and diagnoses,” says Milton Keyes, Supervisor and Critical Incident De-Briefer in private practice in UK.
“The foundational belief of CCT is that people tend to move toward growth and healing, and have the capacity to find their own answers.” This tendency is helped along by an accepting and understanding climate, which you can learn to do.TIPS TO DO:
• Listen and try to understand how things are from the other’s point of view.
• Ask them to tell the story or information in short chunks which are easier to understand and mirror back what you heard them saying.
• Check that understanding with the person you are listening to if unsure. Say, “I think I heard you say such and such______________. Did I hear you correctly?”
• Treat that relationship person with the utmost respect and regard.
• Be willing to know more and more about yourself and be willing to be known. This takes good self esteem. Check out the article Self Esteem Quiz.
• Another tip is to sing the word HU silently to yourself. This is an ancient word for God, and you can use the chant to keep your mind forced on love and respecting the person who is sharing what is important to them.TIPS TO REMEMBER:
1. If you can listen intently, you will feel tired afterward. Effective listening is an active rather than a passive activity.
2. When you find yourself drifting away from listening during a conversation, change your body position and concentrate on having compassion.
3. Let your body position say that you are interested. Good listeners are like poor boxers: they lead with their faces.
4. Meaning cannot be sent by the speaker, unless it is stimulated or aroused in the receiver. The receiver must therefore, be an active listener for the cycle of communication to be complete.
5. A final tip is to practice moving your mind to focus gently on what the speaker is saying. To hear their point of view or process information teach yourself to let go of arguing mentally or judging what they are saying before they have completed. An open mind is a mind that is receiving and listening to information.
________________________________________http://www.okcareertech.org/cimc/downloads/Sample-Activities.pdf has free classroom teacher exercises to download. You can take the test by asking three friends to help instead of using it as a classroom activity. One could be the reader of directions and the other three with you can write the answers. You can choose to approach this exercise in active listening as fun, and it will be.Listening is the most important communication skill. If you think you listen well, then take the classroom teacher test for your listening skill level. Active listening requires concentration and mental participation. The payoff is more relationship fun and intimate feelings of satisfaction. Remember that practice, practice, practice produces a new healthy behavior habit, and developing yourself as a better listener is a priceless gift to yourself and others.

What if this is you? Imagine you have enjoyed a good dinner. However, in a short period of time the cravings start. You’ve had a nourishing dinner, but emotionally you are still feeling empty. Later you decide to sleep but you toss and turn trying to go to sleep but instead you lay awake with your stomach craving something. Can’t sleep? So you get up and go for favorite high calorie snack. This doesn’t happen just one time it happens infrequently throughout the night. By morning the extra food intake during the night inspires guilt and shame, which can again lead to avoidance of breakfast, helping to keep the cycle going.Many individuals have feelings of shame because they don’t have control over food; night eating syndrome is a real disorder and you can get help. If something similar happens to you, you probably have night eating syndrome.More Information on what is Night Eating Syndrome?
A person with night eating syndrome experiences a daily cycle with respect to food intake Understanding this cycle is the first step to being able to plan the gentle changes. After a large amount of food consumed during the night (33% or more of daily calories after dinner according to Stunkard AJ, Grace WJ, Wolf HG: The night-eating syndrome Am J Med 1955; 19:78–86), the person has no desire to eat much for breakfast. Minimum food intake continues through the day, while depression becomes more pronounced at the end of the day. A significant amount of food is consumed for dinner, but 33% or more of the food intake occurs after dinner and at one or more times during the night. This eating does not normally qualify as binging because it is usually occurs over several hours during the night.
During the nighttime, individuals with night eating syndrome have a decrease in the hormone that accompanies sleep, melatonin. Researchers have found that the drop in melatonin contributes to their sleep disturbances.

Who is at Risk of Developing Night Eating Syndrome?
Night-eating syndrome is thought to occur in 10% of obese people seeking treatment for their obesity.
Researchers have found that the triggers are:
1. Depression
2. Anxiety
3. Interpersonal stressors
4. Boredom
5. Prolonged dieting
6. Body image dissatisfaction

How is Night Eating Syndrome different from Binge Eating and Bulimia?

Relatively small snacks are frequently eaten that are high in calories at night. Individuals with binge eating disorder and/or bulimia consume large amounts of food in a short time frame. The binges may be infrequent.Check out the Treatment Tips to decrease or eliminate night eating:
(one – two percent of the population has night eating syndrome, but the rate is as high as six percent among those who are obese. The emotionally charged eating tends to run in families with addictions according to The American Journal of Psychiatry.)

• 5 HTP has shown to be helpful in reducing the carbohydrate cravings that can be a part of the night eating syndrome and 5-HTP addresses the stress by reducing the body’s need to release the stress hormone cortisol. The food consumed at late hours is often high-calorie, starchy food. Carbohydrates adjust the chemical balance in the brain, increasing serotonin levels. Increased serotonin, in turn, helps the person to sleep. 5HTP can do this without the weight gain.

Start with 200 mg. after dinner. Then check how you feel in four days. You can add 200mg. after lunch and 200 mg. after dinner if you are still experiencing cravings and overeating at night.

• For hormonal issues, one way to combat night eating syndrome is to administer tryptophan. Tryptophan has a similar effect to carbohydrate consumption; it ultimately results in a raised level of serotonin. .

• Of course, it is also helpful to address the issues that create stress. This often calls for some form of mental health counseling.

• Structured nutritional meal plans are a means of reducing the episodes of dietary restriction and the urges to binge and purge, plus natural weight loss can happen.

Skipping meals is a trigger for night eating. Make a commitment to change and plan three meals a day.

Spread your calories out evenly over the day to avoid feeling overly hungry